Arabella’s point of view.
My brows furrowed in surprise as we walked the streets of our pack, there aren’t any burnt houses or collapsed buildings like I had expected.
Every house that was destroyed during the war yesterday has been rebuilt and everyone’s smiling as if nothing had happened, they didn’t look as if they just survived a war.
What on earth is happening? Or was that war a dream? But it felt so real, it can’t be a dream, right?
“Hey, dolphin” I nudged her gently. “What’s going on? Was the war real? Or we both just had the same dream?”
Daphne looked as surprised and confused as me, she’s even more confused than me.
“It was real, in fact, everywhere was still ruined this morning before I left for school” she said.
“Then why is….” I trailed off.
Pups were running around, laughing and playing happily, while the women and men are doing their normal daily jobs.
What’s going on? Did the moon goddess visit our pack?.
We walked past a group of women who seemed to be talking about someone or should I say, praising someone, so I slowed my pace a little bit to listen to their conversation.
“The king is such a humble ruler, I can’t believe he’d lower himself to a carpenter’s level”
“Yes, he also helped the brick layers that were rebuilding my house”
“I heard he cooked for the old today, I never expect he’d do that, he’s the King after all”
Huh? Wymond? He personally cooked for the old people? Are they talking about the Wymond I know? Or someone’s actually impersonating him?
“I heard he went to the orphanage and also played with the pups”
“From my observation today, I think he’s a good man and he’s not behind those killings at the wizardry forest”
“Yes, thinking about it now I don’t think he’s behind it too, Maybe someone is trying blacken his name”
“He’s such a nice man”
Wymond came to help out in my pack? Is the sun rising from the west these days?.
Daphne nudged me as we walked past the group of women that were talking about Wymond, she leaned closer to my ear and whispered.
“Your mate has changed everyone’s perspective of him”
“Hm” I simply hummed.
“Did you ask him to come help out?” she asked.
“Nope, I didn’t”
Now I know why he didn’t come to pick me up, he was busy creating a good name for himself here.
“He’s done a very excellent job here” Daphne bumped shoulders with me. “All thanks to our queen Arabella” she said.
“He didn’t do it for me, he did it for himself -to get a good reputation” I replied.
“I don’t think he did it for himself” she paused. “he did it because of you.. to show you he’s ready to change for you”
“Really?”
“Yeah”
She held my shoulders and turned me to face her, she looked directly in my eyes.
“Ara, answer me honestly” she paused briefly. “Do you love him?”
“Er… I…”
“Don’t lie to me and most importantly, don’t try to lie to yourself -search deeply, don’t you feel anything for him?”
I stared at her quietly for a moment and thought about it briefly, then sighed.
“Well, apart from our mate-bond, I do find him attractive and feel drawn towards him, but is that love?” I asked.
She smiled.
“You’re on the way” she tapped my shoulder. “Let’s hurry up, my stomach can’t survive any more starvation” she said.
★★★★★
Daphne and I arrived home in no time, (we’re next door neighbors, in case you’re wondering).
“…. do you know how honored I am to have the supreme King as my brother-in-law?” I heard Arthur say.
“I’d be honored too if I were you” Edward?
“Yeah, I’m so gonna boast about it in school on Monday” Arthur said and released a sinister laugh.
Daphne and I exchanged looks, we rolled our eyeballs then scoffed at once, Arthur’s such an over pompous and spoilt brat.
“Now I understand your uncle’s frustration, you and your brother are just something outta this world” she said.
“Yet we’re loved”
“Of course” she hugged me sideways. “Alright, I should go get something in my stomach already”
“Hm” I nodded at her, she kissed my cheek and dashed off.
I sighed and headed towards our door, I pushed it open and entered.
“Oh, Ara’s back” Arthur said, making Edward turned around to look at me.
Edward’s eyes met mine and I glared at him, he chuckled lightly and cleared his throat.
“Your highness, did you like our surprise?” he asked.
“Surprise?” I asked him back as I approached the living room.
“Yes” he replied.
I sat on a sofa and threw my bag on the table, I looked around briefly.
“Where’s Wymond?” I asked.
“In the kitchen” Edward answered.
I frowned and wanted to say something but Arthur beat me to it.
“He’s cooking lunch” he said.
Arthur sprang up from his sofa and jumped on mine, he leaned closer to my ear.
“Here’s a hint, your mate isn’t going back to the palace today” he whispered.
I frowned.
“Why?” I asked.
He pulled away from me and glided back to his sofa.
“I don’t know, you can ask mom that” he replied.
I turned to Edward and narrowed my eyes at him, but he simply smirked at me -I guess he heard what Arthur whispered to me.
“Why isn’t he going back to the palace today?” I asked him.
“He’s spending the night here….”
“What?!” I exclaimed loudly. “He’s spending the night here?” I asked.
“Yeah”
At that moment, mom walked out of my room with some of my dirty blanket in a basket. I sprang up and rushed to her.
“Mom, Arthur said Wymond’s spending the night here, is that true?” I asked her.
“Yes” she answered.
“But… but… our house is so small and we only have three rooms here” I pointed at our rooms. “Where is he gonna sleep?”
“Obviously in your room”
“What?!” I shouted this time.
“Will you quit shouting?!” Arthur snapped at me, which earned him a smack from Wymond who I didn’t realize has come into the living room.
He met my eyes and grinned sweetly at me, but I glared at him in return -it must be his idea to spend the night.
I turned back to mom.
“Mom, he can’t….”
“He can and he will” mom said firmly giving no room for arguments.
She pushed me out of the way and headed towards our bathroom, I pouted and stomped my feet.
“Baby, let’s eat lu….” Wymond swallowed his words when I threw him another harsher glare.
★★★★★
Third person’s point of view.
Ingrid reached for her bag and pulled out her cellphone, she checked the time and realized it’s already 4:13pm -she’s been in the woods for almost three hours, doing nothing but staring at an empty space.
“I better head home before it gets dark” she told herself.
A very thick fog covered the woods just as she was about to get up, the woods that was already dark became darker and scary.
Ingrid wasn’t someone who gets scared easily, but she couldn’t help but shiver in fear as an eerie breeze blew past her.
She suddenly felt a strange force moving around her, she felt someone caressing her cheek but couldn’t see who the person was.
She tried to move back and make a run for it, but she couldn’t move her legs, it felt as if the force held her and the more she tried to move, the firmer her legs stayed rooted.
“Who.. who.. who’s there?” she stuttered.
No one answered, she only heard male voice chuckling and it was echoing throughout the woods.
Ingrid moved her eyes around frantically in great fear, her whole body was shaking by now and she wished she never entered the woods.
“I have been observing you and I noticed you’re sad” the voice said.
Ingrid shook her head quickly.
“No, no, I’m not sad, I’m not sad” she sobbed.
The voice laughed throatily.
“You don’t have to lie to me because we both have a common enemy at the moment” he said.
“I.. I don’t.. I don’t have enemy” Ingrid replied.
“Of course you do, her name is Arabella Humphrey, right?”
“Ara… Ara?” Ingrid paused. “Who are you?” she asked her earliest question.
“Who I am doesn’t matter, what matter is I can help you teach that bitçh a lesson” he said.
“You can?”
“Yes”
“But she’s the beast king’s mate, we can’t do anything to her or the beast King will make us pay”
The voice laughed at her words.
“That is if he can find out we’re the one” he said.
“No, I can’t work with you because you might betray me later”
“I won’t, after all, you’re also doing me a favor”
Ingrid thought about it for a moment and nodded.
“Fine, what do you want me to do?” she asked.
“It’s very simple”